Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!

We only have one last stop to make tomorrow for Christmas shopping and we are done. My husband has a favorite chocolate chip cookie from a local cafe and since they are open tomorrow, I had 4 reserved for him. Since he is Santa around here and works so hard for our family, we need to leave "Santa" his favorite cookies and Coca-cola:) Today we braved Costco to get a cake for the kids to sing Jesus Happy Birthday! We got out in and out in 36 minutes...I would call that a victory!!

A few weeks ago I made this super cute and easy(just give yourself a few hours to complete & patience) DIY project using Christmas fabric, burlap, and your favorite string of lights. You can find the how to over here on a previous blog post. I love to incorporate a new DIY project each year to the house, just makes the decor extra special and a little more festive. 

I found the burlap fabric with the glitter at Joann's and the rest at Hobby Lobby.

My son had his first class Christmas party for pre-k and it was so much fun! I feel so blessed to be able to send him to a school where he is able to learn about the true meaning of Christmas! I also get to a be a room mom and it was a blast helping plan the party and be able to be there and listen to the kids say, "this is the best party ever!!!" I made these super adorable and easy baby Jesus in a Manger cupcakes(thank you Pinterest) for the kids. Chocolate graham crackers, mini Nilla wafers, white frosting, and yellow sprinkles for the King of Kings. I hope you have had a beautiful December with your family making wonderful memories with your loved ones and taking in all the joy & hustle & bustle this wonderful season has to offer. Only 2 more days!!

Wishing you & your family a very blessed and Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with an abundance of love, grace, and the joy of this glorious day! Thank you for coming on this journey with me and taking the time to read my blog posts. 

Merry Christmas!

12 days of Christmas cookies...the final days

We had a wonderful 12 days of Christmas and while we ended up pretty exhausted from all the activities it has been by far the best Christmas season with my little man. I might say that every year but each year that his excitement grows and he is so beyond full of Christmas joy just makes the season so much brighter! I love it...we have done 3 different gingerbread's...a train, a tree, and the nativity scene. To have him grasp the true meaning of Christmas and get so into baby Jesus and his birthday has been so fun. His generous spirit grows and grows, it is defiantly the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is just 5 days away...We are all ready around here and if like me you are doing another day of baking, then here are some cookies you may enjoy doing these final days till Christmas. The house is lit up with lights inside and out, my son is beyond excited, its Christmas break from school which means Christmas jammies all day long!! We even wore them to the store today, they are only little once! We went to an ugly Christmas sweater party last night hosted by our dear friends, it was fun to see the creative sweaters and skirts.I actually secretly liked the one I wore and may even wear it Christmas day...

On the 9th Day of Christmas some jolly neighbors brought to you CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES...because"my daddy likes them more then the rest." Yes its true these are my husbands favorite cookies so we had to put them on the list, plus one fresh out of the oven still warm and gooey is pretty amazing. The little man & I shared one and he thought the same!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Recipe from All Recipes

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Roll dough into one inch balls. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool. Enjoy!! On the 10th Day of Christmas a little boy brought to you...Some Chocolate Drizzled Rice Krispie treats...

Rice Krispie treats are one of Blake's absolute favorite things to make and eat warm out of the pan. We had to include them into our line up, its is one that Blake helps out every step of the way:)

We made them festive and added swirled Chocolate and crushed Candy Canes:) These are the only pictures, it was a particularly busy day and daylight was against us.

Rice Krispie Treats

by Ms. Marquets Kitchen

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter

7 cups mini marshmallows

5 cups cereal

1 cup mini marshmallows

1/2 cup dark Chocolate (optional)

crushed candy cane's optional

Melt the butter over medium heat on the stove-top. Add Marshmallows, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat, add cereal, stir, and add remaining 1 cup of mini marshmallows. Top with melted Chocolate of choice and Candy Canes and enjoy!

A favorite treat for the young and old! 

On the 11th Day of Christmas some true friends brought to you GINGERSNAP COOKIES...Gingersnaps are by far one of my favorite cookies to enjoy well anytime of the year, but you can always have an abundance of anything Gingerbread related around Christmas time. These delicious cookies come from my sister-in-law and I am excited to share them with you! They are full of flavor with the perfect crunch on the outside yet so soft on the inside! My little man loves them too and as you can tell from below did not want to wait till I was done to finish off the cookie:)

Gingersnap Cookies

Recipe from my Sister-in-law Jess:)

3/4 Cup of Shortening

1/4 Cup of Molasses

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Egg

2 1/4 Cups of Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Ginger

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Cloves

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Mix Shortening, Molasses, Brown Sugar, and Eggs together. In a separate bowl whisk Flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, & cloves together. Stir into Molasses mix until combined.

Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll into granulated sugar.

Bake on parchment lined baking sheets for 7-10 minutes. I do mine for 8...all depends on how soft you like them. 

Let them sit on baking sheet for a minute or so and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

On the 12th day of Christmas some very Joyful neighbors brought to you CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CHEX MIX. This might be one of my favorite things...but then again I have a lot of favorite things. the perfect mix of puppy chow with the cheer and joy that peppermint brings this time of year. 
Blake had so much fun helping out with this one; from unwrapping candy canes, crushing them(the boy loves to hammer), to dumping, and mixing! He was all hands in on this one!

Having fun in the kitchen always ends with lots a dishes to clean and floors to sweep...we had a little extra to clean but that makes it a little more fun:)

You can find Chocolate Peppermint Chex Mix over on Our Best Bites. Super simple and so much fun with the kiddos...another crowd pleaser for the whole family! 

My little one loves to take pictures and this was a photo he snapped of our Christmas tree:) I love this time of year and I think he took a pretty good pic:)

In other news....GO SEAHAWKS!!!!!

On the 5th, 7th, & 8th Day of Christmas....

December is going by faster then I wish! My favorite days are spent with my little man talking about Christmas, reading Christmas books, and hanging out in our Christmas jammies! Each day when we get home, its straight to his bedroom take off his uniform and its Christmas jammies and slippers for the rest of the day! Its pretty cute...I love his excitement and joy for this time of year! Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, and all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth are a few songs he doesn't stop singing:) One of my favorite books currently is J for Jesus each time we see a candy cane he turns it upside down and says J is for Jesus and the Shepard's used it as the cane! I love how much he is into learning and retaining all about baby Jesus, the reason for the season! And of course the cookies....

On the 5th Day of Christmas some jolly neighbors brought to you...PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS. These are one of Blake's favorite cookies to help with and to help eat! This year has been fun to watch him help and be able to do more things.

These are just to remember how cute he is and how fast they grow...if time could stand still! 

You can find the recipe for the Peanut Butter Cookies over on Our Best Bites. I love there Peanut Butter Cookie recipe and I just stick the Hershey kiss on right after I take them out of the oven! 

On a side note I am doing the 6th day over again, I was not happy with how the fudge turned out. You win some and you lose some, we still handed them out but for me it went in the okay department;)!

On the 7th day of Christmas some of Santa's helpers gave to you...COWBOY COOKIES! Cowboy Cookies are a huge hit, one of my little sisters favorite, the neighbor girl requested them and Blake loves them this year! They come from the amazing former First Lady Laura Bush and you can find them here! They are full of Oats, Nuts, Chocolate, Coconut, and a bunch of cinnamon!! So in the healthy category they are further up...

On the 8th day of Christmas some little elves brought to you...JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES! I love jam thumbprint cookies, these are ones Blake had no intention of helping with because he does not like jam, unless on the rare occasion on his pancakes, Silly yes, but I LOVE them. Growing up we made them dipped in egg yolk rolled in chopped walnuts and you put the jam in after cooking. I love these ones because they taste like shortbread with the perfect sweetness from the cooked jam.

Jam Thumbprint

Adapted from Martha Stewart

3 sticks of Unsalted Butter Room temperature

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups of flour (spooned, leveled and sifted)

3/4 cup of jam (any flavor you wish, I like raspberry)

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with Parchment paper.

In a stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Add egg and then vanilla. With mixer on low, in stages, add flour until just incorporated.

Roll into 1 inch balls (i used a small cookie scoop) and place on baking sheets.

Moisten thumb with water and make an indentation on each cookie. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam on each cookie. Bake for 16-18 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely! 

Enjoy!!!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies

Happy Friday and Merry December:)!! I absolutely love this time of year, four years ago I started a tradition with my lil' man that for the first 12 days of Christmas we would make cookies and deliver them to the neighbors! It is so much fun, I wanted to do something with him that he would remember forever but that would also teach him about giving to others and blessing then with a little extra Christmas joy! We have had so much fun and this year is really fun, he is at that age where everything is exciting, he is a great helper, and is so excited to hand out cookies and see every ones Christmas decor! I hope you enjoy the next several posts as they will all be holiday treats! Do you have any fun traditions with your kids, family, friends? I wrap all Blake's Christmas books and each day he gets to open one:) I love all the joy and excitement that Christmas brings, we had Blake's first Christmas program this year and it was adorable! We had a fun and busy week so today I will be sharing the first 4 days with you:)

Here are two pictures from the first 2 years of our cookie making:) 

On the 1st Day of Christmas some jolly neighbors brought to me....Oreo Truffles. These are my favorite! I love to always have them on hand in the freezer and they couldn't be easier to make. Head on over to The girl who ate everything for the details.

We also had a bake sale to help out with this week so Tuesday we made some super easy Chocolate dipped oreos. They are super simple, Double Stuffed Oreos, melting chocolate (I like Bakers), cake pop sticks, sprinkles, and some white chocolate or almond bark for a little swirl on top. Wrap them up pretty and a perfect treat all ages will love and super simple!

On the 2nd Day of Christmas some true friends gave to me....Gingerbread Cookie Bars! These are AMAZING, and so easy I made them on Tuesday for Day 2 and Thursday for the bake sale at school also. They were a huge hit! They are from Six Sisters Stuff new cookbook 12 Days of Christmas. You can find the recipe over on The girl who ate everything, you will want to make these again and again! They are addicting, sweet, delicious, and perfect with your morning cup of coffee or a tall glass of ice cold milk! YUM!!!

On the 3rd day of Christmas some merry neighbors brought to me....SNICKER DOODLES!!! Who doesn't love a good soft fluffy snickerdoodle, they are always yummy, I found a dynamite recipe 3 years ago from Lovin the Oven, this one is a keeper!!

On the 4th Day of Christmas some Jolly neighbors brought to you...SNOWBALL COOKIES!! This was my very first time making snowball cookies and I am not sure why I have never made them before! They are so good, melt in your mouth make you want more good! They will stay on the list year after year and will never be replaced! I looked at several recipes to make but went with this one from Cooking Classy. 

I hope you are having a wonderful start to your Christmas season and enjoy baking some yummy treats to share with those around you!

Sloppy Joe Tator Tot Casserole

Happy Veterans Day to all the amazing Men and Woman who have served and continue to serve our great country. I personally know several great men who serve our country. They are beyond brave and always the most respectful men you will meet.  Never forget the sacrifice these brave men and woman risk for all of us. Freedom in Never Free and May God bless all the families of the brave men and woman who serve our great country!! We are a blessed nation, Thank you Veterans!!

When I first met my husband he was very proud of his tator tot casserole and could not wait to make it for me. The truth...I really did not love it nor I had I ever heard of or had tator tot casserole before. He thought I was crazy and I told him it was delicious because sometimes that's what you do when you first start dating...right?!? So tator tot casserole has never really been my thing, I love tator tots for dipping in ketchup, but that was all I grew up having them for;) Our son has grown in love with tator tots as well, its on the lunch rotation, grilled cheese and tator tots with lots and lots of ketchup. I saw a tator top casserole over on Buns in my Oven and thought I would mix it up a little. I thought this tator tot casserole sounded good and would be a huge win with the husband. Sloppy Joe's & Tator tots are a few of his favorite things...WIN for the wife and mommy since my son is a lover of tator tots.

This comfort food is a crowd pleaser sure to make the whole family very happy, wanting more, and full of warmth.  The bottom layer is homemade sloppy Joe's mixed with cream cheese and topped with a layer of cheese, tator tots, and then more cheese! The sloppy Joe recipe is not my own but the wonderful and talented Pioneer Woman's , it is amazing. The casserole can easily be halved (which is what I did), we have a small family and eating a big 9x13 pan is not always a good thing for the waist line. I took half the sloopy joe mixture, put it in the freezer, and in two weeks made another one for dinner and it was SUPER easy and fast! I love recipes that you can half and freeze. You could also easily double the sloppy joe and stick it in the freezer as well.

Sloopy Joe Tator Tot Casserole
Inspired by Buns in my Oven & The Pioneer Woman

Sloppy Joe mixture

2 Tablespoons Butter

2-1/2 pounds Ground Buffalo or Beef (I am sure you could use turkey if you prefer)

1/2 whole Large Onion, Diced

1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced

5 cloves Garlic, Minced

1-1/2 cup Ketchup

1 cup Water

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Chili Powder

1 teaspoon Dry Mustard

1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste, depending on spice tolerance)

 Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste 

4 ounces Cream Cheese

1 can of corn

1 to 1 1/2 cups Mexican style grated cheese

1 bag of tator tots

Add butter to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add meat and cook until brown. Drain the fat and toss.

Add diced onions, diced green pepper, and minced garlic. Cook until the vegetable start to soften(about 5 min). Add the ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Finally add your cream cheese and can of corn to the mix, stir to melt cheese and heat up corn.

Next, lay your sloopy joe mixture into a 9X13 pan, layer with half of your grated cheese, next a layer of tator tots, and finally top with the rest of your cheese. Bake in the oven at 450 for 20-25 minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Chunky Honeycrisp Crockpot Apple Sauce

I love applesauce, for me it is a comfort food, Applesauce is one of those foods that reminds me of home and my Dad. It wasn't till after high school that I started to get pretty particular about the kind of applesauce I liked. We discovered this amazing Fiji chunky applesauce at a specialty grocery store and it completely changed my perspective on applesauce! Then I saw Honeycrisp applesauce, in my opinion the best apple for applesauce! I go all out during apple season, an apple a day keeps the doctor away...right?!? Apple's Plain, Apple Pie, Apple Pastries, Apple Cake, Applesauce...YUM!

Every October my son and I go to Pullman to visit my little sister at her college WSU. There is a local farmers market in Moscow, ID and I get a big box of organic Honeycrisp Apples! We have so much fun heading over to see Auntie and getting the apples is just an extra bonus that makes the applesauce extra special!! 

Let's also talk about Cinnamon for a second. I believe that quality cinnamon tastes better and smells better. I have a jar of Costco's Cinnamon that smells good and then I have Red Ape Cinnamon that smells amazing and brings a extra punch of cinnamon. Its worth the price and Amazon has it for subscribe and save members. 

Chunky-Honeycrisp crockpot Applesauce 

Ms. Marquet's Kitchen

8-10 apples peeled and sliced

Juice of halve a lemon

1/2 cup water

1/2-1 cup of sugar (I use 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Grated fresh nutmeg

Place all your sliced apples in the crockpot. Mix the water and juice from half a lemon together and pour over apples. Pour sugar, cinnamon, fresh grated nutmeg to taste over apples and mix together.

Set the crockpot on low for 5 - 7 1/2 hours. I have two different crockpots, one takes 5 1/2 and the other the full 7 1/2.

Mix it together and mash it up as chunky or smooth as you like! Enjoy over ice cream, plain, on Oatmeal, or like me in your cottage cheese(weird maybe, it's a family thing). You can also can it if it lasts that long.